In many types of fishing there is a need to linearly connect various sections of fishing line, either because of different properties of each line section, such as test tensile strength, materials of construction for the line, various articles to attach to the line, or to repair a line break such as snagging on the water bottom or cutting/chaffing the line on sharp hard objects in or out of the water. Thus, the need to re-attach separate fishing line sections to one another is required quite often for the reasons stated above, thus being able to conveniently tie the fishing line is highly desirable. However, not just any knot will do, as fish line typically has a smooth slick surface and is constructed of a synthetic polymer such as nylon having a monofilament structural construction, having the desirable qualities of course being water resistant, sun resistant, buoyant, having adequate castability mass, abrasion resistance, having the right flexibility (not too stiff & not too soft), having axial strain/stretch characteristics under axial load to resist breaking-giving a dampening force to lessen the shock on the line from a sudden axial load from a hooked fish, so these desirable material properties of the nylon monofilament fish line are what makes it difficult to tie a knot with, as the line is fairly stiff with the slick outer surface. Further when a knot is tied in the fish line; the slick surface and rigidity tend to unravel knots, wherein if a knot is tied too tight-it could “kink” (permanently strain or deform) the line causing a weak point from the yielded material. Thus, it is essential to properly tie the knot in fish line that is known from experience to work well by staying tied and to avoid causing weak points in the line from “kinking”.
The blood knot is one such knot that is proven to keep the two fishing lines tied together without the aforementioned “kinking”, while providing a relatively smooth outer knot surface for sliding through various apertures. Limitations of the blood knot are that the two line diameters cannot be highly dissimilar is size, type, or texture to one another, and the advantages of the blood knot are that it is an in-line axial joining between the separate lines (doesn't cause an angle as between the two tied lines lengthwise), so the blood knot travels smoothly therethrough the rod guides (or other apertures), plus resulting in a knot that does not compromise line strength, however, the drawback can be the difficulty in tying the blood knot with an individual's manual bare hands, especially when it is cold out, poor ambient lighting, the hands are wet or oily, in addition to poor eyesight or dexterity issues of the individual.
Further, as previously stated the knot must not kink the line or come loose or slip. As anyone who has tried it, tying a knot in a monofilament fishing line is not easy, as the line itself resists bending easily, plus the transparent nature on the line makes it hard to see it, further the small size-diameter wise of the fish line being about 0.020 of an inch typically, makes it even harder to see and work with, and especially in the case of an individual, wherein their skills of eyesight, motor skills, manual dexterity all are not optimal, making the tying of a knot as between two fishing lines all the more difficult, especially if this is a task that they occasionally do. Plus adding to this, that the knotted portion of the fish line is the weakest point due to the sharp bends and folds in the line causing stress points or tears, thus the need for correct knot tying is important to minimize the chance of the fish line breaking or becoming loose or untied where the knot is tied.
Thus the prior art recognizes these issues with various apparatus and devices that assist the individual in tying knots in fishing line. Looking at the prior art in this area in U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,787 to Zolezzi, disclosed is a knot-tying device comprising a housing block and a pair of helical spring loaded releasable retaining means carried by the block for releasably retaining the ends of a pair of lines, respectively, against a face of the housing block. Zolezzi also includes a pair of substantially flat spring loaded housing side retaining plates respectively urging said plates into engagement with the face of the housing block. Looking at FIG. 3 of Zolezzi it can be seen that the side retaining plates (elements 3 & 4) are operational to retain the fishing line (elements 21 & 22) against the side of the housing block, however greatly risking that the side retaining plates will “nick” the line via compressing an edge of the side retaining plate as against the side of the housing block with the line caught therebetween, while the line is slid into and out of the side retaining plate, wherein the “nick” will cause a substantial weakening if the line and defeat the purpose of the blood knot's strength.
Continuing in the prior art for knot tying implements in U.S. Pat. No. 3,881,757 to Guinther disclosed is a knot tying implement comprising a body having a longitudinal bore therethrough; a cavity formed axially in the upper part of the body for receiving the center portion of a knot; gripper means attached to the opposite sides of the body and forming strand receiving slots for holding a strand of leader against the body and for forming a loop from the strand around the body; and a hook member axially movable in the bore and having a hook portion extending above said upper part of the body for holding said center portion of the knot in the cavity while the knot is being tightened and finished by pulling on the ends of the strand. Guinther's finished knot is shown in FIG. 5 wherein the purpose is to leave a tied loop disposed axially within the fish line that is continuous axially or lengthwise, see FIG. 1.
Further, in the prior art for fish line support structures in U.S. Pat. No. 2,843,961 to Semple disclosed is an improved structure and method for tying a leader to a hook or fly by supporting the eyed hook and leader in a vice like manner under axial tension during the tying or knotting of the leader material about the hook, see FIG. 2. In Semple '961, the goal is to have straight axial alignment as between the hook eye and the leader line so that the hook draws straight in the water and not at an angle which can diminish the chances of a fish taking the hook, wherein this goal is accomplished via the aligning support structure.
Next, a blood knot tying implement is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,825,592 to Semple, being an improved structure and method for facilitating the tying of the barrel knot and allied knots utilized for splicing and joining the free extremities of lines or of lines and leaders. In Semple '592 three embodiments are identified by FIGS. 1 to 3, 4 to 6, and 7 to 9, in looking at the embodiment in FIGS. 4 to 6; disc elements 22 & 23 are utilized to pinch the two separate sections of line at disc elements 29 & 30 necessitating the line to bend around slot element 31 risking nicking or pinching the line causing undesirable damage resulting in the knot having inferior strength. In Semple's '592 other two embodiments, the same issue appears with slot elements 15 & 38, further see FIGS. 10 and 11 show this schematically with the line elements 46 & 48 being forced around a tortuous path which is not desirable.
Moving onward, in the line threading device arts in U.S. Pat. No. 2,783,571 to Stilwell, disclosed are devices for threading a strand of yarn through the eye of a hook, needle, or other pointed element, and more particularly to a device which is especially designed to facilitate the threading of a line through the eye of a fishing-hook and its securement. In Stilwell, the hook is magnetically held into position, wherein a guide bore threads the line therethrough the hook eye, further comprising a split bore to facilitate removal of the threaded line and hook from the device.
What is needed is a line knot tying apparatus that eliminates the need to completely manually tie knots in fishing monofilament line when changing line strength ratings, replacing damaged line, changing leaders, changing lures, bait, and the like. Thus the present invention would allow for easier and quicker fishing line joining, especially by physically challenged occasional fisherman who's eyesight and manual dexterity are compromised and who don't fish on a regular basis by not having to cut and re-tie the fish line numerous times thus being out of practice. Thus the skill, patience, needing good light, needing good weather-meaning dry and no wind, or being in a rocking boat, issues are not a problem when the fisherman is relieved from having to tie knots in fishing line multiple times to attach or re-attach to connectors.
Further, ideally the line knot tying apparatus would be easily portable, fitting within a pocket, in addition, the apparatus should be structured to not harm the line in any manner such as in creating nicks, cuts, folds, kinks, and the like-that would weaken the knot. Also the apparatus would make tying the blood knot easy, quick, and reliable, thus allowing the individual to enjoy the benefits of the blood knot.